Twenty five teams of young people from across the Highlands and Islands, taking part in a major technology and innovation competition, will present their project ideas on Monday (16th December) in Inverness to a panel of judges.

The Highlands and Islands PICT ICT Youth Challenge is being run on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise by PICT Innovation Ltd, a partnership company established to foster good ideas and turn them into business ventures by supporting research and commercialisation.  .

PICT project manager, Bryan Fraser, said he was delighted with the level of interest generated since the challenge was launched in October.  He added:  "It's really quite amazing to see so many promising ideas coming forward from all over the Highlands and Islands in such a short period of time.  This is a reflection of the level of innovation that exists among young people of the Highlands and Islands.  It is important that this is fostered and encouraged, and that's what the Youth Challenge is all about."

The various stages of the competition will encourage the development of a wide variety of skills such as communication, presentation and project management, and the teams will be offered support and advice from mentors from the business sector and from specialists in key subjects areas.

The list will be thinned down again after Monday's presentations when 12 teams will be selected to develop their ideas to paper prototype stage, with the aid of specialist advice and support from Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry experts, and submit them by Easter next year.

The finalists will then be invited to take part in the grand final 'Hot House' event next summer, which will be a seven-day residential workshop held at the Fairburn Activity Centre in Marybank.  This will see the development of the prototypes, and competitors will be judged on teamwork, innovation, feasibility, communication and peer opinion.

Prizes will be awarded at each stage of the challenge.  The overall winning team will receive an all-expenses trip to Media Lab in Dublin to learn about the "blue-sky" innovation research and development that is taking place throughout Europe.

The Highlands and Islands Youth PICT ICT Challenge is being supported by a host of sponsors including BT Scotland, in conjunction with BT's world-renowned research and technology business, BTexact Technologies.  The list of supporters also includes Sony, Media Lab Europe, Business Lab and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.